Maria Liaskas, a UBC trained Masters level Kinesiologist and National level athlete joins the changepain team with a broad and deep range of training expertise.

She has seven years of experience competing at the Canadian national level in rhythmic gymnastics and five years of competing at the provincial and national level in volleyball. These feats are a testament to her passion for movement.

After sustaining multiple injuries and visiting a range of sports medicine doctors and physiotherapists, she became increasingly intrigued by the assessment of human movement, pain, and best practices for implementing a plan for recovery. This interest is what motivated her to pursue and complete her undergraduate and subsequent Masters level degree in Kinesiology at UBC.

As part of her training, she was selected to work at the Massachusetts General Hospital where she was part of the Harvard Medical School research team. Here she witnessed and contributed to work in understanding, treating, and preventing brain metastases, specifically in breast cancer patients. She also contributed to research under the UBC BE-FIT: Breast Cancer & Endocrine Therapy FITness program.

Maria joins the changepain team after most recently working in private kinesiology practice supporting the public as well as continuing to help those with chronic disease reach their functional goals.

Maria brings to her practice a patient centred approach to managing chronic disease. She strives to maintain a professional yet compassionate and understanding relationship with each client she interacts with. She believes this is the first step towards building a trusting client-practitioner relationship and sets the foundation for effective work.

Maria is a Vancouver local who is passionate about movement during and after work. She is a long-time member of the volleyball community. When not helping her clients, you will most likely find her buried in sand at the beach volleyball courts.